Long Grain and Wild Rice

 

This long grain and wild rice recipe turned out nice and crunchy with all the fresh vegetables that I added and better than any boxed brand I've tried.  This is a very versatile dish and you can improvise by adding just about anything...veggies, beans, nuts, fresh or dried fruits, etc...  See the notes below, the possibilities are endless.  To speed up the process a little bit you can cook this in an Instant Pot instead.  Again, see the notes below.  The crunchy rice was actually a mistake because I left the pan inadvertently sitting on the stovetop on medium heat for a few minutes prior to serving.  What a delightful mistake that turned out to be too.  Just leave undisturbed until the white rice gets golden in color.  Along with the crunch of the veggies it was a true delight.  This makes the perfect side dish for just about any meal.  You could even use this as a stuffing to stuff a turkey, whole chicken or Cornish hen.  Also, this would be a healthy, hearty, earthy meal all in one too.

1 cup wild rice, cooked as directed on the package (our brand took 1 hour to cook)

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chope carrots

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup baby spinach leaves

2 tbsp grainy mustard

1 cup long grain rice, cooked as directed on the package 

Sauté onion, celery, carrots and garlic for about 2 minutes, or until onion is translucent.  Add spinach and cook through until good and wilted.  Add the grainy mustard, mix thoroughly.  Set aside.

Mix sautéed vegetables with cooked wild rice and long grain rice.  Stir until mixed through well.  An option to have crunchy rice is let it sit on medium heat without stirring or disturbing for a few minutes.  Serve hot.

How to Cook Wild Rice on the Stovetop:

In a heavy saucepan combine 1 cup wild rice with 3 cups of water or broth.  Add 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil if desired.

Stir mixture, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cover with tight fitting lid.

Cook for 45 minutes , or until liquid is absorbed.  It took me about an hour.

Remove from heat. Let rest covered, for 5 additional minutes before serving.

How to Cook Wild Rice in the Instant Pot:

Wild rice cooks up beautifully in an Instant Pot and saves you about 10 to 15 minutes cooking time, realistically. The main advantage to cooking wild rice in the Instant Pot is that you don’t need to “babysit” it in any fashion.

Combine 1 cup well-rinsed wild rice and 1 ¼ cups water in the bowl of your Instant Pot.

Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to Sealing. Select the Manual/Pressure Cook option and cook on high pressure for 22 minutes.

When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then move the steam release valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure.

When the floating valve drops, remove the lid and give the rice a stir. Season as desired.

Long Grain and Wild Rice Goes Well With…

Alliums: Chives, garlic, green onion, red onion or shallot

Beans: Especially chickpeas or other white beans

Fresh or dried fruit: Fresh apple, dried cherries or cranberries or raisins

Greens or herbs: Arugula, collard greens, dill, kale, parsley, sage, spinach, baby bok choy, tarragon, or thyme

Nuts or seeds: Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts or walnuts

Seasonings: Black pepper, cinnamon, Dijon mustard, ginger, lemon or orange juice/zest, or red wine or white wine vinegar

Cheese: Feta, parmesan

Vegetables: Asparagus, beets, bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, celery, mushrooms, pumpkin, squash

**This recipe is adapted from Cookie and Kate